‘GET THE F OFF ME!’
Is this you? Then perhaps you need to know a little more about Drive Reversal, one of the new, (but familiar), defense mechanics in Capcom’s Street Fighter 6. Drive Reversal is one of the more forgotten tools in the SF6 defense chest, but can be very important when under pressure, especially if cornered.
Drive Reversal works much like V-Reversal in Street Fighter V, that is, it is a mostly invincible tool used to put distance between you and your opponent when blocking under a rain of blows. Once activated, Drive Reversal costs 2 Bars but can give you some much-needed breathing space to prepare for escape or counterattack. Here’s how it works.
What is Drive Reversal?
When you are blocking attacks, perhaps in a corner as your opponent relentlessly mashes attacks, then from Back (block), hit Forward and both HP + HK all together. Your character will then break their block stance and perform a single, hard-hitting strike. Should this connect with your opponent while they are in the middle of a move, it will force through their attack and shove them backward. Giving you a breath of air and some space to play with.
Here’s Chunners performing three Drive Reversals on Luke.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb2BzIeZvPQ
Drive Reversal powers through most moves, and can even push back against a blocked Drive Impact, but the move must connect with the opponent for the pushback, so don’t perform one after blocking, say, a long-distance projectile. Drive Reversal also has minimal recovery, so you should be relatively neutral even if you mistime and the opponent blocks. When it connects, Drive Reversal causes a little temporary damage on the opponent (“Grey Life”) which slowly returns unless you strike them again.
In the midst of battles, with specials, supers, Drive Impact, and Drive Rush to worry about, A Lot of players seem to be forgetting about Drive Reversal entirely. But, wisely used, it can break your opponent’s momentum, get you out of a corner, and even lay the path for a counter-attack. Practice using it to learn the timing, and experiment with what you can do with the regained space once its connects.
Just don’t forget it exists.
